Armoring device.



U. T. PRATT.

ARMORING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6, 1909.

Patented Oct. 29,1912.

:I MQAWD WITNESSES: INVENTOR CHARLES T PRATT a5 ff/v %F ATTORNEYS To all whom it=may-cacerm i'citizen of the United States, 1 Frankfort, in the county of Herklmer and reduced in the CHARLES T. PRATT, or FRANKFURT, NEW YORK.

ARMORING- DEVICE.

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. PRATT, a

residing at State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Armoring Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to an improved armoring device, and I declare that the fol-- lowing is a full, clear, concise and exact description thereof, sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

It will be apparent'that I include in the term armoring machine a device whereby a -,coil of spirally woundmetal or other protective material is formed about a mandrelj to construct a hollow flexible tube or casing about a cable for protecting the same. Such tubes or armor are already known in the art and are sometimes formed of double strips formed in' an S or whereby the strips are adapted to overlap each other strip .of armor is used it is one edge shall be compressed will not become continually enlarged.

upon itself spirally and one edge of which is process of winding -so that the superposed edge of the next turn can be formed over the under-turn and be no larger in diameter of the tube than the preceding overlapping coil. It will be observed that'instead'of' rolling one edge to enlarge or stretch it whereby to permit it to overlap a preceding edge, mechanism I provide therefor contemplates the shrinking of the other edge.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of a machine which embodies the lnventionin.

one form. Fig. 2 is a plan view of. the ma: chine Fig. 3 shows the die open, so as to Specification of Letters Patent.

show the interior of the'two parts. shows the reducing member. Fig. 6 'is a vertical sectional view on the linem m of Fig. 1 looking toward the right in that figure; while Fig. 6 is a like view looking in the other direction. Fig. 7 is a view of the finished product, partly in longitudinal sectlon.

a base or table having standards B, C, D, E and F. On the standards C and D supported the die which will bemore fully described below, it being held in place by set screws 1 and 2, the standards C and D which support it being formed to receive On standard B are mounted two wheels 4 and 5, the periphery of'which is formed, as shown in Fig. 2, to 'give to the ribbon 6 a curvature transverse thereof so that half of These wheels or rollers 4 and 5 are mounted on shafts 10 and 11 which, .by ordinary mechanical means, can bev mounted to be C, or like formation In some instances a flexible tube is. formed or a cable is armored by the; use of a single strip having a given formation in cross section which sometimes has a; reversed curve. In all cases where a singlei I i necessary the shaft 15 WlIlCh or reduced in; some manner so that as the subsequent turn j overlaps, the diameter of the tube or armor rollers 4 and 5 fed and likewise't'ran-b'e. mounted tobe readily removed, the adjustment of shafts 10'and 11 being such as to allow the insertion of different rollers. The shafts 10 and 11 The standard'B has means for supporting carl ies a beveled gearwith gear-wheel 12 where- -wheel 16 meshing is imparted to the gears by rotary motion as forming wheels, also feeding wheels and force the ribbon lnto the die. On the shaft 15 is mounted the power pulley. being operated by belt 20. The die heretofore referred to is shown my method and the as made. of two parts and will'be described a whole, however, the die is formed with a transverse bore, shown at '25, opening into WhlCh'dS a feed-way '26 which carries the ribbon from' the feed wheels which are mounted slightly oblique'into thebore of the die. Referring particularly to part 30, which is one of the' portions ofthe die, it will be seen that a portion of the wall of the bore and indicated.. by, 3l is; plane and *that a spiral groove 32 is formed therein,

leaving a shou1der33 against which the edge 6* of ribbon 6 bears as 'it'is forcedinto the Patented Oct. 29, 1912. Application filed December 6, 1909. SerialNo. 531,473. r

Referring to thedrawings in detail Aisare carry intermeshing gear wheels 12 and 13.

with reference to the two. parts. "Taken asdifferent dies according to the work to be done.

it has a longitudinal dip.

.80. I adjusted -more or less nearly :together according to the thickness of the ribbon to be and the forming wheels. While I, speak of they are power pulley 18, having idler 19 therewith,

" The faces of the groove 32 and 35 are. smooth the groove specified that and the groove is of slightly ameter than the other grooves since it is in the flat portion of the ribbon bears, the groove shown by 37 and ribbon, which in this case is 38 being slightly larger in diameter to allow for the curvature of the ribbon in cross-section as at 6 which formation continues longitudinally of the ribbon on, one side. The bore shown at 25 through the die is enlarged by the bore 39 cutting away the shoulder 'or edge at- 39 (Fig. 1) and allowing for free winding of the ribbon and the spirals of the finished tube or armor to pass out of the die. In other words, the die being regarded as a single structure has a transverse bore 25 with a lead or guide-26 thereinto for the ribbon 6. The boreis formed with spiral grooves .to coil the ribbon which is forced into the'grooves, the series of grooves having a shoulder at the former end of the series to guide the ribbon by contact of the edge therewith.

It-being necessary that the edge of the the one next the shoulder, should .be contracted, I provide mechanism for that purpose. The form here. shown is a device for striking frequently intermittent blows against the ribbon. The hammer or bar is shown at 4:0 which reciprocates in groove 41 cut lengthwise of the die and opening into the transverse bore to strike the ribbon as at point 00 shown in Fig 7. The hammer or striker is suitably made and formed for the purpose, its striking tip being conical and the striking surface being fiat of circular outline, although this last feature I do not consider essential. The groove 41 is slightly larger vertically toward the inner end than the hammer or bar, so that as the coil is being formed the striking end of the bar can move slightly upward with the coil when the pressure is being applied. These blows are frequent enough to give substantially a con tinuous hammering effect on the edge of the ribbon. A spring 45 is mounted on the die and passes downward into the die through opening 46, the function of which is to press the hammer downward between the several blows. Various means may be employed to reciprocate this hammer or bar, but I show one as consisting of toggles made up of links 50 and 51, one of them being pivoted to the head of the hammer and the other to the fixed standard F. The adjacent ends are pivot-ally connected and are connected smaller diwith pitman-rod 53, the other end of which bears on a pin 55 in wheel 56 which is r0- tated by belt 57 and is adapted to'a suitable rate of revolution to reciprocate the hammer withnecessary frequency. It is evident that a plurality of these hammers or reducers may be used as desired, being positioned to beat and reduce in diameter one edge of the coil at difierent points and from different directions or angles, so as to insure the proper result by a plurality of successive pressures or blows at given points on cally equalling one continuous pressure if desired. It is thought to be within the skill of the mechanic, with the showing made, to construct sucha variety of machine.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a die having spiral grooves therein of 2. In a machine of the character described,

metallic ribbon in spiral form with edges overlapping and of a given diameter, of a reciprocating hammeractuated by mechanism whereby to compressin diameter one edge of the coil of said ribbon, while being wound, substantially as described.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination in a die having a spiral groove for the winding of a ribbon, of a hammer mounted to reciprocate against the ribbon as it is being wound and with a vertical play for'the striking head of the hammer, and means for restoring the head to its normal position, substantially as described.

a. In a device of the character described, the combination in a die having a spiral groove for the coiling of the ribbon with overlapping edges, of a hammer mounted to reciprocate against the ribbon while being wound, the die being cut to allow vertical play of the striking head of the hammer, substantially as described.

5. In a device of the character described, a die cut out interiorly in spiral form whereby to guide a ribbon end through said die, and reciprocating mechanism whereby to reduce in diameter one edge of said ribbon, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

C ARLES T. PRATT.

Witnesses:

ELEANOR T. DA GroRc-I, T. L. WILDER.

a hammer reciprocally mounted and playing against the coils fed. into the said die, substantially as described.

the coil, practithe combination with a die for winding a 

